Flying 11s 2009 Upper Harbour Champs - Fired Up New Champions

12:30 AM Mon 9 Nov 2009 GMT

'Start of the Dash For Cash' David Price Click Here to view large photo

Lane Cove 12ft Skiff Sailing Club could not have chosen better conditions to run the 2009 McGrath F11 Upper Harbour Championships with a true and steady 15kts easterly blowing up the Lane Cove River against a runout tide on Saturday 7th November.

It was the seventh year Brent Courtney McGrath Estate Agents have sponsored this regatta for Flying Elevens, a duel race event for many of the new season crews to taste a bit of river sailing away from home before they all come together for the first round of the NSW Flying 11 State Championships at Hunters Hill SC later this month.

The Dash For Cash - the precursor drag race from the LC12'SSC clubhouse out through 'humbug' to the start line of the championship, started right on schedule at 0130hrs with the fleet from Avalon, Drummoyne, Hunters Hill, Manly and Lane Cove creating a thrilling spectacle of close river duelling to the last bend of the Lane Cove River, the lead changing at nearly every crossover.

1374 Fired Up Nat Greentree and Harry Price M16'SSC made it to the bend first but got caught outside with local knowledge shining through when 1345 Bambino Oliver Hartas and Lucy Roper LC12'SSC worked the inside of the bend skilfully with 1382 MWD brothers Ash and Dan Heyworth just behind slipping into the home straight with spinnakers hoisted grabbing whatever bullets from over the hills they could muster.

Once through the doldrums at the river mouth, 1382 MWD had clearly snared the lead from the pack and went on to cross the line in first place followed by 1345 Bambino and 1374 Fired Up.

2009 F11 Upper Harbour Winners- 1374 Fired Up M16’SSC - David Price Click Here to view large photo

The fleet regathered off Clarkes Point in the Parramatta River, with the breeze strengthening to 16kts and the start of the Upper Harbour Championships got underway at 1408hrs.

The fleet worked their way up to Mannes Point for the first rounding with 1374 Fired Up leading from 1391 (no name) Tim Forbes-Smith and Jim Colley ASC, 1380 Misleading Kenya Raj and Sarah Jones HHSC, 1386 Wet Willy Will Dargaville and Lucia Langdon ASC and 1358 Decoy brothers Declan and Flynn Rohr HHSC.

It was a square rundown to the next mark off Clarkes Point with 1391 and 1374 Fired Up now clearly separated from the remainder of the fleet. A thrilling tight reach skimming over the top of the Clarkes Point rock wall provided some electrifying viewing demonstrating just how fast the Flying 11s can go to the picnickers and fisher folk just meters away. The whole fleet managed the tight reaching leg to Spectacle Island without incident, with a number of crews unable to wipe the smiles off their faces by their return up the second work to Mannes Point.

The lead was extended by the two front runners, both crews working overtime and the lead changing at each cross. The remainder of the fleet were bunched together, intermingled with the usual traffic up the gutter of the river off Hunters Hill SC.

Once around the top mark on the second lap, 1374 Fired Up were able to hold on to the lead over 1391 and maintained their position over the remaining two laps of the course to win a comfortable 40secs ahead of 1391 and 1358 Decoy crossing the line in third place off Clarkes Point. Forth place went to 1337 Shake Your Booties II Toby Dind and Finn Alexander HHSC, fifth to 1386 Wet Willy and local crew 1345 Bambino claimed sixth place.

First place on handicap were local sailors Kat Wotherspoon and Holly Dixon LC12'SSC sailing 1339 Luff Me Knot, followed by 1379 Fire Fly Ravi Raj and Gretta Quealy HHSC second and 1369 The Whammy Michael Koerner and Joshua Ponton ASC with third place on handicap.

A full set of results are available on the Flying Eleven class website www.flying11.yachting.org.au .